ARRI holds dealer’s meeting before IBC

A day before the 2016 IBC technology expo opened in Amsterdam, around 80 of ARRI’s international dealers attended a meeting so they could learn about the exciting new products and developments being showcased by ARRI.

Opening the proceedings, Dr. Jörg Pohlman of the ARRI AG Executive Board took the opportunity to welcome and thank the distribution partners present. “A very big ‘Thank You’ to you all!” he said. “Without the great collaboration and cooperation we have with you, the record-breaking year we’ve experienced at ARRI would not have been possible.”

Stephan Schenk, Managing Director of ARRI Cine Technik and General Manager of the Business Unit Camera Systems, added: “We really appreciate you giving us an extra day of your valuable time before the beginning of IBC.” He went on announce the availability of the much-anticipated ALEXA SXT cameras.

“The first 20 ALEXA SXTs have already been shipped and many more are on their way soon,” reported Marc Shipman-Mueller, the Product Manager responsible for the ALEXA lineup, who gave an overview of the technical and creative advantages of the SXT cameras.

Another innovation being presented by ARRI at IBC is the new Master Grip handgrips for handheld control of lens and camera functions. Product Manager Hendrik Voss, who is responsible for the Electronic Control System of which the Master Grips form a part, commented: “For the first time, camera operators now have fingertip control of everything they need, as well as fantastic comfort and stability when shooting handheld. The Master Grips combine a classic, proven ergonomic design with state-of-the-art technology and exceptional ease-of-use. They can be used with ARRI cameras, but also with cameras from other manufacturers.”

Curt O. Schaller, Product Manager for ARRI Camera Stabilizer Systems, had some interesting tools in his luggage: he unpacked and displayed the TRINITY stabilizing head, MAXIMA gimbal and artemis mechanical stabilization rigs, all of which are now supplied exclusively by ARRI.

A major part of ARRI’s message at IBC – and one of the biggest talking points in the industry right now – is HDR, or high dynamic range imaging. Florian “Utsi” Martin, Lead Digital Colorist of ARRI Digital Workflow Solutions presented the subject to the gathered dealers and commented: “By the end of this year there will be HDR-ready TV sets on the market starting at USD $1,000. HDR is clearly an emerging trend, but ARRI digital cameras were designed to be future-proof from the beginning and we have offered the best solution for HDR capture since the release of ALEXA in 2010.”

Visitors to ARRI’s booth at IBC will be able to experience the ‘HDR tunnel’ and watch amazing HDR content that was captured with ARRI cameras, including scenes from the Amazon series MOZART IN THE JUNGLE and director Florian Gallenberger’s film THE COLONY, starring Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl.

André Rittner, Key Account Manager for Corporate Customers at ARRI Media, then took the floor to explain how virtual reality technology is no longer just a dream of the future: virtual reality content produced by ARRI Media is already being used for showpiece projects by major clients such as Volkswagen and Bosch.

The afternoon session was dedicated to ARRI lighting technology. Markus Zeiler, General Manager of the Business Unit Lighting, described 2016 as “already a great year.” He went on to comment: “In particular, the SkyPanel family of LED soft lights has become a real success story, with huge demand for these fixtures on top-level productions. The upcoming blockbuster ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, for example, used a large number of SkyPanels during production.”

Michael Wagner, Senior Lighting Product Manager, explained how the SkyPanel story is continuing, and the family growing, with the release of the new S120-C, which is being announced at IBC. “Twice as long as the S60 but nearly the same weight, the S120 has multiple uses when used horizontally or vertically, and the quality of the light is really amazing,” said Wagner. The new light met with a warm reception from the dealers, who responded to the announcement with a prolonged round of applause.